Brits to spend £6.46bn on hair and beauty treatments in the next six months
A post-coronavirus pandemic economic boom is on the cards with Brits set to spend an incredible £6.46 billion on beauty and hair treatments in the next six months, according to new research from Smart Energy GB.
Leisure and hospitality businesses are experiencing a higher demand for services as locals continue to support small businesses, with 43% having seen an increase in trade levels in April 2021 compared to April 2019, and a further 8% extending their opening hours, the report found.
As such, 17% of Brits have found it difficult to book an appointment at a beauty salon since they’ve reopened, and 24% are having the same issue with barbers and hairdressers.
In addition, more than half (52%) of leisure and hospitality businesses have embraced the “Build Back Better” narrative, introducing measures to make themselves more sustainable, with 28% reducing their plastic waste, 18% using more recyclable materials, and 11% going entirely paperless.
Many have made this move as nearly half of brits (42%) have said they would be more likely to visit a business that was doing its bit to be more sustainable, the data found.
Two thirds of leisure and hospitality microbusinesses have also “upgraded” themselves over the past year to be more financially efficient ahead of the “Great British Summer”, the report found, with one in 10 installing a smart meter and 19% planning to get one to help better manage their energy use.
“The past 18 months have been incredibly tough for businesses but with the world starting to re-open, we’re all looking forward to the Great British Summer,” Smart Energy GB’s Fflur Lawton. “Lots of businesses have been looking at ways they can optimise themselves and the experience of their customers.”
In other good news, more than a quarter of new lockdown-born hair and beauty business owners are planning to hire one or more employees, set to create more than 1,7000 new beauty sector jobs.
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